A Secret Diary of the First World War by Gill Arbuthnott, illustrated by Darren Gate

It’s August 1914 and 14 year-old James Marchbank is no longer a delivery boy. He’s going to fight in the war. Sent to the trenches in France, James’s story unfolds as he spends the next four years fighting to survive in the cold, harsh climate of World War I.

Taken from actual letters, diaries and photos belonging to James and his family, this novel describes the desperate despair felt by everyone involved in WWI, regardless of age or loyalty.

A must for all teachers and pupils alike, the factual information provided, along with the heart-felt hope in letters written by a young boy far away from home, should be on the shelf of every classroom.

It’s rare to have such a comprehensive insight into the world of that time and Gill Arbuthnott sympathetically recounts his life over this period.

With Darren Gate’s illustrations providing a visual aid for the reader from geographical maps of the lay of the land to gas masks to railways full of wounded soldiers, this is a stunning, yet poignant reminder of all those who didn’t make it home and the sacrifices made.